1. Field of the Invention
1. INVENTION RELATES TO APPLIANCES AND MORE PARTICULARLY TO AN APPLIANCE DOOR OPENING DEVICE.
2. Prior Art
Appliances, such as for example, laundry appliances, and more particularly, clothes dryers, have access openings thereto. These access openings are normally closed by a hinged door. The door may be maintained in a closed position by means of a latch mechanism coating with the door and the appliance cabinet. Such latch mechanisms have often been of the type which can be overcome by the application of a separating force tending to pull the door away from the cabinet. Specific examples of such latch devices include spring latches, friction latches and magnetic latches.
In order to provide a force for overcoming the latch, the prior art has relied upon a number of devices including simple door handles which can be grasped to pull the door away, push buttons which trip pivoted levers to force a door carried projection out of a spring latch (see, for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,185,161 to Tinnerman), and hinged multiple port release assemblies which apply pressure between a movable door-carried abutment and the cabinet wall. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,540 to D.F. Eppley et al).
Such prior art devices either provide no mechanical advantage or consist of a large number of parts which can become separated or broken requiring repair and which are expensive and time consuming to assemble during manufacture. It would therefore be an advance in the art to provide a door release mechanism which is inexpensive, consists of a few parts, is easy to install, and which provides a mechanical advantage.